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Throughout David Copperfield, the majority of the characters are not described in great depth. David appears to be the only character that Dickens truly makes dimensional. The changes that I see as evident among characters are their personalities and the way they interact with others. For example, Dickens made Clara Copperfield’s change in behavior quite pronounced, especially after she married Mr. Murdstone. Her usual loving and energetic behavior towards David was forced to an end. She could no longer show emotion towards David or much else for that matter. Clara must begin to act as a “lady” and not as a child. Mr. Murdstone couldn’t comprehend how she ever ran an efficient household before he and his sister came into the picture. Clara and David were not equipped to run a house of their own, and someone looking as beautiful as Clara was not supposed to do chores around the house, as she was accustom, so the Murdstone’s thought. The changes that become evident in the characters, seem to be changed by someone else’s influence upon them. David becomes a much more closed individual as does his mother. They are both changed due to the influence that the Murdstone’s have on them. The general love that they felt towards each other seems to have been removed, and the two are no longer allowed to show affection towards one another. When a person reflects on their lifetime, they see many things in which they may or may not like. David, having a hard and difficult childhood, hopefully looks at the things that were unpleasant at the time, and realizes that he grew and matured. Nothing ever seems to come easy, and life is full of many bumps and bruises. Unfortunately for David, he acquired many bruises along the way, and not just to the heart. It seems unfortunate that a child like David, who appears to be bright and loving, would have to be put through so many horrors. Learning to be a strong person and to believe in one’s self is an important lesson that David seems to have come to understand. One of the lessons that David learned was never to take a person’s word for granted. To many times he was taken advantage of, simply due to the fact that he assumed every person would be kind and willing to help him along the way. There are many things that a person learns throughout their lifetime: not to always take a person’s word for granted, not everything that you hear is true, each person is an individual, even if they seem to conform to a group or society itself, and there are many more. I believe that these are just a few of the more important lessons that were apparent in David’s life.
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